EFEITO DA INTENSIDADE DE DESBASTE NA QUALIDADE DA MADEIRA SERRADA DE Eucalyptus grandis

Effect of thinning intensity in the sawn wood quali ty of Eucalyptus grandis . This study was undertaken to determine the effect of thinning inte nsity in the sawn wood quality of 14 years old Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden. There was analyzed a thinning experiment, located in the northern coast of Rio Grande do Sul installed in ra ndomized blocks, with four treatments and four repetitions. The trees were selected on the basis o f the dominant and average diameter at breast heigh t (DBH) of each treatment. After cutting down, there were selected logs located between DBH and 25% of the commercial height, for evaluations of en d splits and board spring. The results indicated that thinning intensity reduced end splits of board s of dominant trees and did not present a clear tre nd for the average ones. In relation to the sampled st ratum, this defect was higher in average trees. The board spring was influenced by thinning in both dominant and average trees, however, without presenting a clear trend with its intensity. The co mparison of this defect between dominant and average trees showed no significance.